Inventor preps robot to cut through ice on Europa
Sunday, April 22, 2012 - 03:00
in Astronomy & Space
(Phys.org) -- Robots are being developed all the time to do what we wish and to go where we cant. This week, inventor Bill Stone told attendees at NASAs Astrobiology Science Conference in Atlanta that he intends to get an autonomous robot ready to visit the icebound sea of Jupiters moon Europa, cut through the icy crust, and explore the waters below. He told the participants that his goal is to send his robot Valkyrie to Europa, where it will use lasers to cut through the ice to explore the waters below, collecting samples, in search of life. His company, Stone Aerospace, has been working on the six-foot by ten inch robotic cylinder called Valkyrie.